Brooklyn Nets: Caris LeVert appears motivated to make a statement

NBA players and athletes all over are awaiting the return to action, but Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert appears ready to make a statement.

Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert went on a torrid run over his last 17 games before the NBA season suspended operations due to the coronavirus, as he averaged 23.0 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game while making his team 0.6 points better on the defensive net rating metric with him off the floor than without.

LeVert also strengthened an area of weakness, as he shot a very respectable 41.5 percent from three-point range in those 17 games. Where LeVert showed the most improvement on his three-point shot was his pull-up shooting, as he knocked down 32 of his 72 attempts in those situations.

The Michigan product took to Instagram yesterday to send a message that he’s well aware of the Bradley Beal to Brooklyn rumors, and one thing that was quickly noticed was that he’s put on some serious muscle.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAlok_Ph4nk/

Can LeVert ultimately prove to be the “third star” the Nets need?

A major concern about LeVert over the years has been his ability to stay on the court, as he missed 42 consecutive games in the 2018-19 season with a dislocated right foot injury. This season, LeVert missed 24 straight games with a sprained right thumb.

While it’s concerning that he’s missed a lot of time due to injury, especially dating back to his days in college, those two injuries don’t necessarily play into the whole injury-prone narrative.

That foot injury was caused by him falling down awkwardly after trying to contest a layup at the rim, which will, unfortunately, lead to a very serious injury. Thankfully, he was able to return in three months. A sprained thumb is also something that can happen to anyone.

As for his injuries suffered in college, he had three separate surgeries on his left foot, but that could very well be a thing of the past, as it hasn’t proven to slow him down over the course of his young NBA career.

Having said all of that, injuries shouldn’t really be a concern going forward for the 25-year old barring another freak accident or case of bad luck.

With the ball in his hands though, LeVert is as crafty as they come. He can break down his defender off the dribble, run the pick-and-roll, create his own shot or drive to the rim. With him adding more muscle as well, he should also be more adept at handling contact at the rim and finishing some tough layups.

One thing LeVert needs to work on to better fit in with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant is his catch-and-shoot abilities from behind-the-arc, as he only shoots 31.9 percent on those looks. However, the court will certainly open up even more once KD and Kyrie return to action, so LeVert could very well benefit from all that open space and knock down those shots at a higher rate.

Something that LeVert has proven recently, however, is his ability to perform in big games, as he put up 51 points in Boston against the Celtics in March and sank three free throws with 0.2 seconds left in the game to send the game into overtime. LeVert then scored all 11 points in overtime to lead the Nets to the win.

It goes without saying that Bradley Beal is the better offensive player than LeVert is, but LeVert is only getting better, and if he continues to grow into one of the better two-way players in this league, then I don’t personally see a need for the Nets to give up too many assets to bring in a guy whose specialty is scoring when they already have two of the best of them in the league.

While LeVert has prided himself on being humble and letting his play do all the talking, it’s refreshing to see him go out there and show off all the progress he’s made while we’re all in quarantine. A motivated player is always the best player, and that’s what LeVert appears to be.